Forest climbing plants of West Africa: introduction

The rainforests of Upper Guinea extend from Senegal to Togo and are separated from the rest of the West African forest by the Dahomey Gap: an extension of savannah from the Sahel to the Gulf of Guinea. The Upper Guinea forest zone harbours a large number of animal and plant species, and has been earmarked as one of the world's hotspots of diversity. This region is under threat, however, from conversion for agriculture and from logging, and is becoming increasingly fragmented. This introductory chapter presents an overview of the book and examines the climbers of the West African forests, particularly those of Upper Guinea, including their role in the forest ecosystem.